7 Food Shortages and How They Ended

Reports earlier this year indicated, as they do with suspicious regularity, that an arabica bean shortage was on the horizon. It seemed as good an excuse as any to raise coffee prices. But don't believe the hype—just a few weeks ago, Reuters reported that arabica prices were at a four-and-a-half year low, boosted by a Brazilian surplus.

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Rarely a month goes by without headlines promising some variety of food shortage or another—recent hysterics have taken wine and Sriracha as their targets. But the well-informed citizen always asks: should we believe the hype? We’ve indulged your healthy skepticism by looking at six food shortages from the recent past, separating the hype from the reality.

Reports earlier this year indicated, as they do with suspicious regularity, that an arabica bean shortage was on the horizon. It seemed as good an excuse as any to raise coffee prices. But don't believe the hype—just a few weeks ago, Reuters reported that arabica prices were at a four-and-a-half year low, boosted by a Brazilian surplus.